I graduated from Skyline High School in Sammamish Washington a few months ago. This fall I’ll be attending Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts. I love everything about the city (except the Red Sox) and extremely excited to start campus life. I am certainly no expert on college admissions but I can definitely empathize with any high school senior that is lost or confused in their search to find the right school. The following is some information that helped me during the applications process and I hope at least some of the information can be useful to students going through the same process as I did.

The Common Application
For those who dread filling out thousands (ok, dozens) of college applications, relax, applications are all essentially the same. When I filled out my first application in November of 2005 it was a long, awkward and tedious project. However, once I began applying to more schools it became a much easier undertaking. I ended up applying to 9 schools in the end.

Most schools accept the common application, which can be filled out and submitted to as many schools as your willing to pay for. But make sure you pay attention to the details! A friend used the common app and in his essay he described his immense desire to attend the University of Washington. He sent the same application to about 6 different schools.

Telling a Story
I used the same essay for all of my apps and found that a good college essay does not tell the admissions office how wonderful you are; it shows them. Tell a story about yourself: your triumphs and failures and how you learned from them. Simply listing off that you are an honor student, a great athlete, or an accomplished musician does not tell who you are. Tell a story about someone who influenced you to work hard and do well. Write your essay about how being an athlete taught you to strive for excellence.

Even if a school does not accept the common app, very few school-exclusive applications are much different from the common app. Application questions are usually very straightforward - grades, extra-curricular activities and SAT scores are all standard information. With a few exceptions, all schools ask for the same information.

On your College Search, use some of these helpful tools to find a college that fits you:

• Search for an Art School
• Search for an Education School
• Search for a Business School
• Search for an Online College

Education | college application